Did Bill Belichick Almost Leave Patriots To Coach Washington Football Team?

Story telling is an art. Sometimes it turns out to be a report or a bombshell. Did Bill Belichick actually consider coaching the WFT?

ASHBURN, Va. -- Did Bill Belichick, maybe the best head coach of all-time, recently consider coaching the Washington Football Team?

That's the story from Gary Tanguay, a Boston media personality.

Did we somehow, in the craziness of Ron Rivera taking over the WFT in January of 2020, miss this angle?

There was certainly speculation at the time about Belichick leaving New England because he was unhappy, about the Tom Brady situation and maybe more.

Did Belichick really want to move on? Did he consider moving on to Washington?

We've asked around the league and heard back from two sources: One said that Dan Snyder reached out to Belichick to gauge his interest. The timeline on this was long before Jay Gruden and Bruce Allen were fired. 

Another said that Belichick would not work for Snyder but confirmed that Seth Wickersham's recent commentary was correct. 

ESPN's Wickersham, who appeared on a podcast recently: “At the time ... Bill left the impression that he might be open to a move. There were some reports that came out at the time that the Giants were looking at him. I think he talked to the Washington Football Team and the Dolphins about sort of their openings. And it was unclear whether he was interested or not, but he was still talking to them ...''

Wickersham says he "thinks' that Belichick talked to the WFT. But it's worth noting that Wickersham has an impeccable reputation as a reporter. Tanguay seemed to be more definitive, saying Belichick 'inquired' about the job.

There is a timing disconnect to some of the stories. Belichick's Brady-related conflict came the year before Washington hired Ron Rivera. 

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WFT owner Dan Snyder is unlikely to offer confirmation of this stuff. However, it should be pointed out that historically ...

*Snyder had at least one discussion with Bill Cowher before he officially moved on from Mike Shanahan. 

*He was able to lure Shanahan here.

*He was able to bring back Joe Gibbs for Part II.

*He was able to secure Rivera when many thought that would be not very likely. 

Point being, Snyder has a track record of having conversations that feature him being charming, making a candidate feel good, being persuasive. 

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Belichick is smart. Maybe he declined here because he foresaw the WFT as being a disaster in waiting - which Rivera has established would've been wrong. But Belichick also grew up in this region with his family ties to the Naval Academy in Annapolis. 

For many reasons, this would've made makes sense. For many reasons, Belichick "almost'' to the WFT at least makes for a heckuva story.


Published
Chris Russell
CHRIS RUSSELL